''Sati''

By Crusader1307

''Sati'' was a form of Ancient Hindu Funerary Practice, dating to perhaps the 3rd Century BC. As was given, via Misery and the prospect of a Life ''without'' a Spouse (in this case, a Wife surviving Her Husband in death), some Women of Wealth opted to no longer live. As suicide (which was practiced in other Cultures), was a ''taboo'' – The Sati was ''invented''. As was common with many Cultures as well, Ancient Hindu believed and practiced Cremation (the burning of the body into ashes thru fire). Normally placed on a Pyre (wooden platform with materials place to speed ignition and adequate flame), the Wife of The Deceased was allowed to ''sit'' on top of Her Husband's remains and be burned (alive) with Him. After the ''grisly'' Act – the ashes were gathered together and normally placed in Urns or Vases. These were then venerated in ''Ancestor Worship'' Rites by some Families. Never seen as compulsory, Sati most often was done when a Wife's Husband's ''fortune'' was contested or She had no surviving Children to care for Her. Although ''outlawed'' during British Occupation in the 19th Century AD – Sati was still practiced. Illegal today in India – some remote Regions have reported Sati as late as the 1990s.